As we lamented a couple of times, finding an eatery in the capital of cava (and other Spanish sparkling wines) is not an easy mission. Ticus, the Repsol Guide recommended, Slow Food member, family-owned, centrally located place seems to have renewed and refreshed a bit. Let us explain why we recommend Ticus now.
Flavours of Montseny
Ticus has always been keen on using local ingredients, and the main source of the meat, mushrooms and many other ingredients is the Montseny National Park.
“A universal heritage. Montseny, Biosphere Reserve is a mosaic of Mediterranean and Central European landscapes located next to large metropolitan conurbations. Its extraordinary biodiversity and the cultural footprint that man has left there over time present a universal value that has inspired artists, intellectuals and scientists, and that awakens the emotion of the people who visit it.”
More information about Montseny National Park here
Tender freshness
At our recent visit we ordered two different salads as starters, and just look at them, aren’t they enchanting with all these colours? One of them was lettuce with goat cheese, beetroot sauce and peach from a nearby region, the peach is called Pressec d’Ordal. That place is all about the yellow fruit, the origin protected peach is famous nation-wide. The other salad featured sun ripened tomato, raw cod, some black olive tapenade and it was abundant in roughly chopped “tender onion”, a type of onion typical in Catalonia. Tender indeed, ultimately refreshing without the excessive flavours (and aftertaste) of the usual onions.
In defence of a plate of rice
As main course, I ordered cannelloni stuffed with wild boar stew, while my lunch partner chose a rice dish. Tourists may be surprised when receiving a plate like that, everyone expects paellas, as seen in travel brochures. However, single portion rice dishes do not look impressive, yet, the flavours can be unforgettable. Ticus rice came with zucchini and mussels this time, the mussels came from the delta of the river Ebro, and they tasted again utterly refreshing and clear. Ticus almost always offers oysters as well from the Delta, which takes 1.5 hours by car. “Oysters are safe only within 2 hours’ distance” – said once a wines restaurateur to me, and the rule is proven.
And my cannelloni, OMG, how delicious they were! The filling was made like pulled pork, what with the distinctive, sweetish taste of the wild boar, of course from Montseny park again. Both for the starters and for the main course we got a slice of local, tasty bread, they were gone quickly…
Same but different
For dessert we ordered Catalan cream and cheese cake. Boring, aren’t they? Well, they were both different from the usual stuff. The Catalan cream was soft like a cloud in the sky, gentle and in spite of its sweetness, it was featherlight and refreshing. While the cheesecake was made with a touch of blue cheese, and thank God the blue cheese was literally just a touch, without reading the menu, we might have not identified it. Perfect balance!
When you don’t complain about the price increase
A weekday menu costs 25 euros at Ticus, it includes three courses, bread, water and a glass of wine. It had the same price 5 years ago, yet, there was a slight difference: back then there were four courses. Honestly, it was too much, I could never eat them and I left with the bad feeling of wasting food leaving it on the plate. The cost of labour and the price of the ingredients increase, no wonder, restaurateurs have to react. The reaction of Ticus is the best: they kept the price of the menu, and decreased number of courses.
As for the wine list, Ticus has a wide range of local sparkling wines and still wines with artisan products and natural wines.
Ticus – how to reserve a table
– Address: Raval 19, Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Catalonia, Spain
– Opening hours: from 13.00 to 16.00 every day, except for Monday and Tuesday.
– For groups, individual opening time is possible!
– The website is not up-to-date, the daily menu was last updated in January.
– The email works, but do not expect quick answer…
– The best way to reserve is to call or write on Whatsapp:
+34 938 184 160
– Ticus is quite active on Facebook
– Also active on Instagram
